William (Carrington) de Carrington

Born [date unknown] in Carrington, Cheshire, England

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Andrew Lancaster [send private message]

NOTE: Birth/death years are only a rough indication.

Biography

This profile represents the father of William Carrington who was father of William Carrington who was sued by his grand-daughter in 1296.^[1]

Apart from that information not much else has been confirmed. The wife seems highly doubtful, and is apparently a guess made by Copinger.

Research notes

It is difficult to identify the parents of this profile. There were clearly several generations of Carringtons around the late 12th and early 13th century, and the name William was used more than once.

• Ormerod and Halesby think his father might be Adam (Carrington) de Caryngton (abt.1135-abt.1200), but this seems far too early. There could easily be 2 generations in between.
• Confusing all research, a famous fraud insists on the existence of Michael (Carrington) de Carrington as a father to this profile who was also clearly too early, and probably did not even exist. Even if he did exist, the chronology would not be likely.

According to Copinger (pp.19ff), who should be used with caution, the following records exist concerning earlier generations:

• In the reign of Henry II (1154-1189, Copinger says 1190!) A William Karinton was a witness to a grant by Roger de Mainwaring.^[2]
• In about 1190 William and Gilbert Carringtona appear among the witnesses in a charter where Hamo de Massey regranted land to Robert fitz Waltheof.^[3] (Copinger says they are brothers, but this is not stated.)
• In about 1200 (actually 1201?) William and his brother Gilbert were supposedly witnesses to a confirmation of King John. Copinger cites a charter concerning Lytham priory in the Rotuli chartarum vol. 1 p.90b which does NOT mention them among the witnesses, at least in that edition.
• In 1220, Copinger says that Mathew de Karington, and Thomas de Karington owed 2 shillings each on the Lancashire Pipe Roll. These do not appear to represent the main Cheshire line.

The following could actually be records for this profile, or perhaps a father, grandfather or uncle with the same name.

• A William "was a witness to a grant about the year 1220 by Wlliam de Massy, Rector of the Church of Bowdon" [Copinger cites Matthew Paris ; and Ormerod, v. 1, p.431. However Ormerod dates this record to 1270?]
• A William "was witness to a charter of confirmation dated about 1220 by Roger de Barlowe to Wlliam de Mascy Rector of Bowdon of the whole of his (the grantor's) land by doing the same service to Sir Hamo de Mascy as recorded in the charter" [He cites Harleian 2077, folio 117, in the British Museum.]
• "About the year 1233 a William witnessed a charter of Hamo de Mascy to Robert Buar of his (the grantor's) land in Hale." [He cites Charters of William Vaudrey, of barrow, in Hale. B. Mus. Harl. MS. 2077, f. 117.]
• "in the same year [1233] William was a witness to a grant of lands in Toft" [He cites Toft Charters, No. 3. Harl. MSS. 1424.]
• Another William: "in 1239 witness to a charter by Gilbert fitz John de Boydel, of Lymme" [he cites Arley Charters, Box 1, No. 27. ]

Note of caution

This profile is involved in what the great genealogist J H Round called the "The Carington Imposture", a famous fraudulent pedigree. See his Peerage and Pedigrees Vol. II, starting at page 134. At least some of the people in that pedigree never existed and others are represented inaccurately.

It is important to work critically on this profile and all connected to it, in order to discover what, if anything, should be recovered and connected to profiles of real people.

Further information:

• The Carrington Imposture
• Round, John Horace, 1910. Peerage and Pedigree: Studies in Peerage Law and Family History, volume II, Pages 134-258. Reprinted Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1970. The Great Carrington Imposture] Pages 134-258. Available on Hathitrust, and Familysearch.

For reference, this myth reached its most complex version with the publication of an enormous work compiled by Walter Copinger in 1907.

• Walter Copinger, "History and records of the Smith-Carington family" Available online here. Use with caution!!

Sources

1. ↑ Plea Roll, Chester County Court, CHES 29/8, Case 235, 22 May 1296, Alice versus "Will’ fil’ Will’i de Caryngton’. and his sons "Will’. Thom’ & Jordanu’" and daughters, "Auic’, Mabill’, Alic’" & Will’m le Grubbere" https://cheshireplearolls.files.wordpress.com/2021/05/8_6.pdf Note that there were therefore a sequence of 3 generations of Williams, 2 of whom were still alive in 1296.
2. ↑ Ormerod and Halesby, vol.1 p.470.
3. ↑ Ormerod and Halesby, vol. 3, p.789